Comox Valley student serves up more than 1,000 pieces of pi for charity

It wasn’t a slice, but Comox Valley student Jack Boan broke his own record by reciting more than 1,100 numbers of Pi while raising money for charity Wednesday.

Pi Day is celebrated March 14 to represent the first three significant digits (3.14) of the mathematics symbol which represents the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. It is an irrational number that never ends.

In his third year celebrating the day, Boan – who is ranked 168 on the Pi World Ranking List – wanted to break his previous record of 808 while raising more than $1,000 for Comox Valley charity You Are Not Alone (YANA).

YANA offers funding and accommodation to Comox Valley families who need to leave the community for the medical care of a child under 19 or pregnant mother.

“Patience and just trying to stick with it,” explained Boan, a grade 8 student at Mark R. Isfeld school in Courtenay, as to his secret to remembering the numbers. “Normally I sit down, memorize it and take a break, and try again.”

Since grade one, Boan has been memorizing the digits of Pi.

“Jack is an example of somebody taking something they love to do and using it to benefit the community,” noted YANA community relations co-ordinator, Ocean Varney. “He was inspired to help because he knows families that YANA has helped, in turn, he is inspiring others; it’s pretty awesome.”

In front of a large group of students and teachers watching in the lobby of the school, Boan successfully recited 890 numbers unassisted, and 1,130, with the assistance of one digit.